"He's making some progress, but every step forward he takes, it seems we take two steps backward," said Fox.

Andrew, who is known to his family as Drew, is a victim of biliary atresia, which is the absence of bile ducts. The disorder prevents bile and bilirubin from flowing into his intestines. The fluids instead stay in Drew's liver, where they slowly destroy the vital organ.

He received his first liver transplant in late August at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. Fox said that arteries leading to the liver became clogged with blood, causing the organ to abscess.

"When that happens, you have to have a retransplant. Sometimes the liver can heal itself, but it just wasn't healing," said Fox.

A new donor was found and the operation was performed starting the night of Sept. 23 at the Pittsburgh hospital. The transplant wasn't completed until about 2 p.m. the next day.

"It was a much more difficult operation," said the boy's father.

The parents have had some nervous moments since the second operation. Fox said doctors twice feared that Drew was bleeding to the point where the boy's life was in danger.

"They thought they were going to lose him," Fox said.

A lengthy recuperation period for the boy is planned. Fox said Drew's release from the Pittsburgh hospital won't be for at least another two months. Fox said it is more than likely that he and his wife, Lynn, won't bring Drew home to Lederach until the end of the year.

"Do It for Drew," a support organization of friends and neighbors of the family, has been working to raise funds to help the Foxes with the expenses of the operation.

"They are very helpful," said Fox. "There has been a lot of support from them."